Spurs’ plane grounded (UPDATED)

It is just past 11 central time, and your intrepid beat writer is sitting in a hotel room in Memphis, watching West Virginia play Villanova on TV and awaiting the start of tonight’s game between the Spurs and Grizzlies.

The team I cover, meanwhile, is sitting on a runway at San Antonio International Airport, still trying to get here.

Due to mechanical troubles, the Spurs’ NBA-approved charter plane could not leave San Antonio after last night’s victory over New Orleans. The Spurs spent the night in their own beds (and not the tarmac, thank goodness), and will fly to Memphis this afternoon.

Talk about a quick turnaround. The Spurs are scheduled to land here at 12:45 p.m. Tipoff is at 7.

The Spurs aren’t strangers to airplane malfunctions.

Two years ago, they experienced similar troubles after winning Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in New Orleans, and had to spend a night in the plane on the tarmac before leaving for Los Angeles.

5:15 UPDATE: Here at the FedEx Forum now. So are the Spurs. The Eagle has landed.